Louisiana’s capital city is bright and bold. Trenched in deep Southern history as well as a rich traditional of LSU sports, Baton Rouge teems with regional pride. Baton Rouge and the greater East Baton Rouge Parish is home to over 446,000 residents 1 and continues to see a rise of sexually transmitted disease in the area, including HIV.2&3
Getting tested and treated, if medically appropriate, is a simple and effective way to help lower the number of infections in Baton Rouge. Scheduling an appointment with your primary care doctor can often mean waiting a while before getting in and the waiting room at a free clinic can be crowded. STDtest.com offers the same exemplary safety and care standards for STD testing, delivered on your schedule. Read on to learn more.
Looking at 2013 data, the 10 previous years of reporting showed that Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical ranked 1st for the number of reported AIDS infections out of the 9 MSAs in Louisiana. The Baton Rouge MSA, including the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana, exceeds the population of Baton Rouge city and the East Baton Rouge Parish (the parish in which the city resides). According to the CDC, the Baton Rouge MSA area also ranks 4th in the nation for the estimated rate of HIV infections in metropolitan areas exceeding 500,000 or more residents. Of the top 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas with the highest estimated rates of HIV infection, 95% are located in the south.2&3
With statistics like these, it’s important for individuals and groups at risk to know all of the facts getting tested and treated for STDs. For example, most STDs present without any symptoms, making them harder to detect and easier to pass between partners. According to the CDC, all STDs can be treated and many cured, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. For those without a cure, like HIV and AIDS, certain strains of viral hepatitis and genital herpes, a positive diagnosis is needed to be linked to the treatment that helps manage these conditions in a way that patients can lead a normal day-to-day life. Know the risks, get tested and treated, if medically appropriate. It’s that simple to be proactive about your sexual health.4-7
The most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in Baton Rouge, the state of Louisiana and all across the United States is chlamydia. In 2013, 2,588 new cases of chlamydia were reported in East Baton Rouge Parish, a number is on a steady decline since 2011. The state reported 28,739 new chlamydia cases in 2013 in comparison. Another common sexually transmitted infection in the greater Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish area is gonorrhea. Similarly to chlamydia, the number of infections in this reporting area has been on a steady decline as of 2011. In 2013, 694 new infections were reported in East Baton Rouge Parish, compared to 8,669 reported statewide.8
While the prevalence of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis continues to decrease in Baton Rouge, there was a 25% increase in the state of Louisiana of this sexually transmitted infection between 2012 and 2013. In 2013, 49 new P&S syphilis infections were reported in East Baton Rouge Parish, followed by 22 the next year, a 55.1% decrease. Also in East Baton Rouge Parish, the year-over-year data found in reports provided by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is an increase in the number of new HIV infections. In 2012, 263 new infections were reported in this area followed by 254 the next year.2,3&8 Continuing to get testing and follow-up treatment, if needed, is an important way to improve the overall sexual health of the Baton Rouge region.
The state of Louisiana, including the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School District, does not require any form of sexual education instruction in school. If a school in the state does choose to provide this sort of curriculum to its students, it is required by law that the curriculum covers abstinence as the only 100% effective method for avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy. While these programs must stress abstinence, according to the curriculum charter, other methods of safe sex are allowed to be discussed with students grades 7-12 in an educational setting. If a teacher chooses to teach sexual education curriculum, it cannot include mention of religious beliefs or any ethical and moral judgments or any additional biases of the instructor, according to the Louisiana Public Health Institute.9
This lack of mandatory sexual education in public schools can be a factor in the high rate of sexually transmitted diseases in youth all around the greater Baton Rouge area. An opportunity for all young people in the state to know the complete picture when it comes to STD risks, testing and treatment can aid these young people in making the best possible decision for their own sexual health. All across the United States, young people ages 15-24 account for nearly 10 million of the 20 million STIs in the country each year.10
When it comes to the demographic distribution of sexually transmitted infection throughout East Baton Rouge Parish, youth plays an important variable. In line with trends witnessed all throughout the country, young people account for a large number of the STDs reported to the local health authorities. For example, the Baton Rouge MSA ranked 1st in the nation for the number of 15-24 year olds with HIV infections. Gender also stands as a significant factor in the spread of STDs, and how each gender is affected tends to be determined by the condition in question. For example, of the total chlamydia infections reported in 2013, 1,818 were reported in women compared to 770 in men. In the case of gonorrhea, 339 men were infected in this time frame compared to 355 women. When it comes to primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis and HIV, men are the more affected party. 71.4% of all syphilis infections were attributed to males in 2013.2,3&8
The racial ethnic group with the highest number of HIV in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2013 was African Americans, with 225 new reported infections, according to reports from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Looking at the chlamydia data in this same time period, African American females was the demographic population that saw the highest number of case reports, with 1,531. Regarding gonorrhea, African American females saw the highest number of infections that year with 326. The group with the most syphilis infections according to these reports is the African American male segment with 30. 2&3,8 Continuing to reach out to these at-risk populations to encourage testing and treatment is essential for boosting the community health and wellness of this region.
Make more time for what you enjoy most in Baton Rouge, like a visit to the Atchafalaya Basin, when you get the answers you need about your unknown STD status. Getting started with STDtest.com only takes a few steps to get peace of mind. Choose the tests that are right for you. Next, you’ll choose a testing option. You can choose a lab most convenient for you from a national network of thousands for a short visit (usually 15 minutes or less) to collect your blood or urine sample, no appointment needed and same-day options available.
For both options, test results are usually available in 48 hours or less. Our medical team is available to answer any questions you might have, can discuss your diagnosis in more detail and can work with you to set up the right treatment plan, if medically appropriate. Get tested. It’s for your better health.